Religion Vocabulary

Abraham

The founder of Judaism, a prophet who was spoken to by God who promised to make him the father of a "great nation

Monotheism

Belied in one God, Judaism was the further major monotheistic religion

Holocoust

the mass murder or genocide of approximately six million Jews during World War II, led by Adolph Hitler and the Nazi Party

Moses

Prophet who received the Ten Commandments from God

Exodus

The departure of the Isralites from Egypt

Ten Commandments

Center of a Jewish law and belief

Passover

A holy ten days celebrated each year remembering the time when the Jews were freed from Egyptian slavery

Diaspora

The movement or scattering of people away from their ethnic homeland

Pogrom

An organised persecution or massacre of a minority group, especially one conducted against the Jewish people

Anti-Semitism

Prejudice, hatred of or discrimination against people because they are Jewish

Rabbi

Teacher, the official leader of a Jewish congregation

Cantor

Person who leads songs and chants

Bar Mitzvah/ Bat Mitzvah

Coming of age ceremony

Torah

Sacred writings of the Jewish faith

Synagogue

Center of worship and study for the Jewish community

Talmud

Explains the laws of Torah, it contains the options of thousands of rabbis on a variety of subjects

Sabbath

The day of rest, observed from Friday at sunset to Saturday at sunset